


As you wish

by purepaperplate



Category: K-pop, NCT (Band)
Genre: Bickering as Flirting, Fluff, Inspired by Princess Bride, Kissing, M/M, Not Beta Read
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-12
Updated: 2020-03-12
Packaged: 2021-02-28 19:20:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,987
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23112361
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/purepaperplate/pseuds/purepaperplate
Summary: That summer was unseasonably warm. After all that happened, after countless winters and springs and autumns and summers, Doyoung always thought back to the summer of his twentieth year. The year his father grew too weak to tend to their farm any longer. The year a boy from the village began working as their farmhand. The year, but mostly the summer, he fell in love for the first and last time.
Relationships: Kim Dongyoung | Doyoung/Lee Taeyong
Comments: 7
Kudos: 83





	As you wish

**Author's Note:**

> Guys!! This is one of my favorite fics I've written so far! I've been loving DoTae recently and when I rewatched The Princess Bride I couldn't get the idea out of my head. The setting of this is comparable to that of TPB in the sense that it's an ambiguous, slightly fantastical, historical time. Hope you enjoy!

“Farm boy, fetch me some water,” Doyoung demands.

“As you wish,” the boy replies. He doesn’t smile with all his teeth like he does when speaking to Doyoung’s father, but the corners of his thin lips do lift politely _as always_. Once he’s gone, Doyoung rolls his eyes.

This afternoon has been absolutely _sweltering_ , trapping everyone indoors. While he appreciates the day off, it’s only midday and Doyoung is already bored out of his mind. His only source of entertainment is asking the farm boy to perform menial tasks for him in increasingly bratty ways and wait for him to snap or do _something_ exciting..

So far it’s been an uneventful morning.

When the boy returns with water fresh from the well outside their cottage, Doyoung is disappointed. Somehow he looks _happy_ to have done so, whistling a quiet tune to himself.

After drinking a cup of water he didn’t even want in the first place, Doyoung finally admits defeat. “I’m going to the river. It’s too hot in this house.” He wouldn’t say he _stomps_ away, but it’s a near thing. The only reason he doesn’t slam the door dramatically behind him is that his father is asleep in the next room.

…

The walk to the riverbank at the edge of their property is familiar. Doyoung’s mind wanders as he kicks at the pebbles that dot the bank, listening to them thunk as they sink into the lazily flowing water. He kicks off his shoes and lifts his pants as high as he can before stepping onto the large, flat rock that just barely peeks its head over the surface of the water. He sits on its edge, his feet now fully submerged, and lets his eyes shut.

The sound of the river calms him, as does the canopy of blindingly green leaves above him that filters the sun’s rays. He slowly opens his eyes and slips his hands under the water. He swirls the silt at the bottom to watch the flecks of golden dust form a shimmering whirlpool before settling back on the bottom, leaving the water clear once more. He can’t help but smile; the glimmering water reminds him of the fairy tales his mother used to tell him, stories of pixie dust and magic and gold coins left in pockets.

He’s so caught up in the memory that he doesn’t hear the whistling, doesn’t realize he’s no longer alone until a thin stream of water splashes the side of his face. Doyoung shakes his head, spluttering in shock and sends a glare in the direction of the splash.

“I think you’ve smiled more at the dirt at the bottom of this river than you’ve ever smiled at me,” Taeyong grins, kicking the water again, this time thankfully _not_ at Doyoung’s face.

“I think I’ve been more entertained by the dirt at the bottom of this river than I have ever been entertained by you,” Doyoung replies haughtily.

— “What would you have me do? Refuse to bring you the dishes sitting right next to you? Bring you water from the horse trough instead of the well?”

— “It surely would liven up my day, I say give it a try next time and we shall see how you compare.”

— “As you wish.”

— “Shouldn’t you be with my father instead of sneaking around behind my back? Surely this is not the work he pays you for.”

— “He’s not paying me at all, he gave me today to rest, therefore I have as much claim to this river as you do.”

Doyoung narrows his eyes. He hated losing, especially against Taeyong.

“Are you planning to swim?” he asks. “I bet I can reach the other side faster than you.”

“I’d agree with you,” Taeyong smiles again, “I can’t swim.”

“I can teach you,” Doyoung says, before his brain can stop him. Taeyong looks taken aback; “Really?”

“Do you want me to say no?” Doyoung asks, raising a dramatic brow. Taeyong hesitantly untucks his shirt then plays with the hem. “You’re not trying to drown me are you?”

Doyoung lets out a full-belly laugh at that. Taeyong’s face, nervous only seconds ago, immediately relaxes. “Don’t worry farm boy, I will be sure to only make attempts on your life while you are not on your day of rest.”

“Thank you,” Taeyong smiles, ducking his head almost in a bow. He wades a bit farther into the water. A little closer to Doyoung. “You know my name, don’t you?” he asks, so softly, eyes on the water lapping at his shins.

“Taeyong,” Doyoung whispers. Taeyong’s eyes fly up to meet his and Doyoung feels his ears grow warm. He hadn’t meant to say it so gently. He feels as if he wrapped Taeyong’s name in colorful paper and handed it back to him. He feels as if he’s given himself away.

They stare at each other for a short moment, the only movement the swaying leaves over their heads and the rolling water at their feet. Doyoung looks away first.

His knees crack a bit when he stands. “Ready to learn to swim?” Doyoung asks, trying to regain the flow of their earlier conversation, retreat to safety.

Taeyong nods and pulls off his shirt once he sees Doyoung reach for the hem of his own.

“The water isn’t very deep here so if you’re really worried just try to stand up. Even if your head is underwater, you only ever need the ground at your feet and you can push yourself back up.”

After explaining more of the motions, Doyoung walks further into the water until it hits his waist. He beckons Taeyong towards him and the boy wades in slowly. Once he’s knee-deep he pauses. He looks at Doyoung with wide, worried eyes and shakes his head.

“You’ll be okay, I promise,” Doyoung calls, trying to sound soothing, but Taeyong shakes his head again. Doyoung pauses, taking in Taeyong’s shaking frame and walks towards him slowly, like when he spots a deer in the forest and wants to get a closer look before it bolts away. He holds his hands out, palms up, and takes Taeyong’s hands in his when he’s close enough.

“I promise, on my father’s life, that I won’t let anything happen to you,” he says slowly, pulling Taeyong with him as he slowly backs deeper into the river. Taeyong squeezes his hands at that, but he seems to have stopped shaking. Even though he should probably be more attentive to where he’s going, Doyoung can’t help but look at Taeyong. This is the closest he’s ever been to the other boy and up close he’s a little too breathtaking for Doyoung to ignore. He pauses when the water almost reaches Taeyong’s hips. “We don’t have to swim today, we can just get used to the water. It’s probably best that you feel the current before you dive in anyway,” Doyoung decides. Taeyong lets out a breath and nods, “That sounds smart, I wouldn’t want to ignore my instructor’s advice.”

“Good boy,” Doyoung grins. Taeyong shivers a little and takes a step closer to him. Doyoung panics a bit and takes a step back, only to slip on a rock that he hadn’t noticed because of course he wouldn’t notice a bloody rock with Taeyong in front of him. He fumbles for balance and eventually regains his footing, Taeyong doing his best to steady him with an iron grip on his forearms.

Doyoung can tell that Taeyong is trying not to laugh. After a sharp glare, the dam breaks and Taeyong is laughing so hard he bends to rest his hands on his knees then remembers that his knees are underwater. “You promised that nothing would happen to me but I didn’t think that meant you’d be sacrificing yourself to teach me,” Taeyong giggles.

In lieu of actually throwing himself off of a cliff in embarrassment, Doyoung turns and sinks under the water. After a few hopefully muffled yells, he resurfaces.

Taeyong immediately punches him on the arm. “Warn me next time you dramatic brat, and don’t take everything so seriously.”

Doyoung grins and starts poking Taeyong’s arms in what he hopes is an annoying pattern; “You were worried for me, hmmm who’s taking things too seriously now, Taeyong?

Taeyong sticks his tongue out at him in response. Doyoung just gives him an even more obnoxiously bright grin.

Quiet sneaks up on them again and Doyoung remembers what they were supposed to be doing. “Do you want to go any deeper?” he asks. Taeyong looks down to gauge their depth; “Maybe to my waist? But no deeper than that.” Unconsciously, Doyoung’s eyes trace the space, lingering on the smooth muscles of his stomach, the pucker of his bellybutton, the moles mapped across his skin.

Without even thinking, he reaches forward tentatively and rests his hand on the dip of Taeyong’s side, halfway between his ribs and his hipbones. He can feel when the older boy sucks in a sharp breath. “Here?” he whispers, mesmerized by the feel of Taeyong’s skin, soft and warm to the touch, realer than ever.

“Yeah,” Taeyong whispers back. Without looking up, Doyoung settles his other hand on the opposite side of Taeyong’s waist. He feels so fragile below his fingers. He’s strong from working in the field, but his ribs are still visible on the sides where muscle can’t quite hide them. Doyoung is so so lost, tracing his fingers along the grooves, seeing how close his fingers are when his hands return to their natural resting place. It feels like the space has been left for him to fill.

Taeyong’s head jerks up at that and Doyoung realizes he’s spoken aloud. His eyes go so wide and he yanks his hands away from Taeyong like he’s been burnt. He’s fervently apologizing, looking down into the churning water in shame.

He’s stopped by a hand over his mouth. Taeyong’s looking at him desperately, eyes moving over his face with such indecision and then his hand is gone and is replaced by Taeyong’s mouth.

The kiss is so innocent, so gentle, so _Taeyong_ , Doyoung feels like his heart is growing in size, painful but in a good way.

When he pulls away, Doyoung brings a hand to Taeyong’s cheek and the other boy leans into it, eyes closing. Doyoung has no choice but to kiss him again.

Doyoung has never kissed anyone before, but he doesn’t think Taeyong has either. The way their lips meet is so new, a skill he wants to spend the rest of his life perfecting.

After a minute Taeyong pulls back and leans their foreheads together. His hand is on Doyoung’s neck and he moves it to stroke into his hair. “I can’t believe this is real,” he pants; “I never thought…” “Me neither,” Doyoung whispers back. Taeyong kisses his cheek, his nose, his other cheek, his temple, anywhere he can reach and Doyoung just wants him _closer_.

He slides his arms under Taeyong’s legs and shoulders and lifts him into his arms while wading backwards, making sure to be more careful this time. Taeyong shrieks, but Doyoung keeps walking until the water reaches his shoulders. He can still touch the bottom, but he suspects Taeyong can’t so he guides the boy’s legs around his waist and settles his hands on his thighs just to be sure.

“Brat,” Taeyong scowls, but he’s smiling and when he tightens his arms around Doyoung’s neck he knows all is forgiven.

They kiss until their lips feel numb and the sun starts to burn red and orange near the horizon. “I’m so cold,” Taeyong says through chattering teeth, “but I never want to let go.” Doyoung presses a kiss under his jaw before pulling back to look at him with a playful grin.

“Is this your way of telling me you don’t actually want to learn how to swim?”

**Author's Note:**

> comments and kudos water my crops :)


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